Thailand Hostle advice

So its my first time out of Canada, i have never stayed in a hostel and I'm heading to Thailand in December (Bangkok and southern). So i dont know what to expect with hostle are there some things i should should know, rules and guide lines would be great.

i was in thailand in march and stayed in a great hostel in bangkok. its called the lub'd. it was awesome, super clean, and a really cool place. since you havent stayed in a hostel before staying here will be a good thing and a bad thing. the good part is that it'll erase all preconceived notions about hostels being nasty places. the bad part is that it'll probably spoil you into thinking all hostels are like this place haha. i have no other recommendations for other hostels in thailand, only little beach bungalows on koh chang and koh maak. anyways, hope this helps. trust me. the lub'd is probably one of the best hostels i've ever stayed in Reply to this

Yeah, I looked at that Lubd place last time we were in Thailand. It looked lovely, but it was the same price to share a dorm room as it is in hotels and guesthouses to get your own room with an en suite bathroom and air con.

What do you mean? A dorm room or a hotel or a guesthouse? Of course, the big difference is that in a hotel or guesthouse only you and the staff have a key to your room, whereas in a dorm other travellers do too. But sometimes dorms give you lockers with a key for your stuff.

You shouldn't be leaving valuables in any kind of room really. Put them in the safety deposit box. You can also lock your luggage if you are worried about people going through it when you are out.

The best pieces advice I think with respect to safety of belongings are:

1. not to take anything you are really going to miss.

2. If you do have valuable electrical goods, camera, laptop or whatever, make sure they are insured.

3. Back up your photos to CD regularly in case you loose or damage your memory card.

4. Never put valuables in the boot or hold of any vehicle. Keep them with you. And if you get off a bus or train at any point, take them with you, don't leave them on board.

I would leave no valuables unattended in any hostel, hotel, guesthouse room in Thailand. Use a moneybelt for your cash, passport.... And carry things like camera in a small bag with you, when you go out.

Sometimes, if you are staying in a family run place you can give them your valuables to take care of, but I doubt there are such friendly, family run places in Bangkok.

Thanks everyone, that suk11 looks cool. One other question, I'm going to be arriving in Bangkok at 11:45 pm should i make reservations now some where, or do you think i could just head down to Koh San Rd and i could probably find a place. Reply to this

Nighttime I would have a definite address to head for. You can switch hotels the following day if you want. This is high season, there are fewer vacancies available.

When you arrive that late it might be after midnight when you get your bags after getting your passport stamped. You will probably have to use a meter taxi to get into the city. Some old posts will show that the meter taxi is outside arrivals. That changed October 1. Now for a meter taxi you must go down to the first floor. (Airport Express bus is also on the first floor.) The meter taxi desks are located out near the curb. They will say PUBLIC TAXI on a blue sign with a picture of a big taxi on it. (Ignore the touts in the arrivals hall who offer rides to the city.)

Totally agree with Hal. If you arrive into Bangkok at 11.45pm, you have to get through immigration, customs etc. and then travel into the city. The airport is a good hour away from Khoa San Road by taxi at that time of night. So you are going to be arriving past one in the morning.

After a long journey, the last thing you want to do is trek around with your backpack on in a strange area in a strange country looking for a free bed for the night. You just want to arrive somewhere, settle and sleep. And you want that place to be clean and comfortable and safe. Not just the first place that has room. Don't underestimate the culture shock that you will feel when you first arrive in Bangkok. It's so different to Canada and you will be over whelmed by the sights, noise and smells. Not necessarily in a bad way, but you will. If you book a couple of nights accommodation somewhere you know will be ok it will give you a place to get used to things in.

By the way, Suk 11 is not anywhere near Khoa San Road..,..so if you end up at Khoa San, don't try and find it. It's off Sukhumvit road.

It is 400 to 500 Bahts to get from the International airport to the Khao San Road. Be sure to ask the driver to switch on the meter. Otherwise, you will be charged what is known as a fixed rate, which is always more than the meter would tot up.

There is also a tourist bus right outside the airport for 150 Bahts if you arrive during the times it runs. It stops at the Khao San Road. The staff on the bus speak English, and will let you know when you are there.

If you do take a taxi, be sure to take the one of the ones outside the airport building. There are ones in the arrivals part of the airport who will try to get your custom, but these are expensive. Reply to this

I was in Bangkok 4 day and i stayed HQ hostel. A nice hostel to stay with. clean and fun. Thou I find the location a bit far away from the BTS station and Very friendly staff. great atmosphere. ^^ 380 THb someting for dorm
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I would for sure stay in a guesthouse and skip the whole hostel situation. Hostels are more for backpacking Europe and OZ. The At Home Guesthouse on Tanao Rd, just behind KSR is great. It's super clean and there's a great travel desk there. Reply to this

Here are a couple links to some cheap places in the Sukhumvit Road area. In this area you can use the Skytrain, no Skytrain in the KSR area. Hotels (with air and private toilet) in this area will start around 600/700 baht and go up to over 6000 baht per night.

Soi 1 Guesthouse has dorms and single rooms. Convenient to many things like malls, street vendors, Skytrain, nightlife, travel agencies for tours, restaurants and even the Bumrungrad Hospital if you want to get some dental work done.

3 Weeks in Malaysia - open Itinerary by santandriaWe are a family (2 adults and our 11 year old daughter). Travelling to Kuala Lumpur on the 14th December 2014, we fly back to Europe on the 7th January - so that gives us just over 3 weeks. We would really like your help to build an itinerary for what to do during this time - we have a very open mind.

Malaysia 3 weeks - Open Itinerary by santandriaWe are a family (2 adults and our 11 year old daughter). Travelling to Kuala Lumpur on the 14th December 2014, we fly back to Europe on the 7th January - so that gives us just over 3 weeks. We would really like your help to build an itinerary for what to do during this time - we have a very open mind.